Syria on Kashmir issue: India has the right to solve it in any manner

Syrian ambassador to India Dr Riad Kamel Abbas today said that Kashmir issue is an internal matter of the country, and a problem India and Pakistan share mutually.

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Gautam Datt

New Delhi

August 26, 2016

UPDATED: August 27, 2016 05:12 IST

Syrian ambassador to India Dr Riad Kamel Abbas said the problem between India and Pakistan has to be solved by the two countries without any external assistance.

HIGHLIGHTS

Syria backs India's position on Kashmir.

Kashmir issue to be solved by India and Pakistan under Shimla convention: Abbas

India and Syria facing cross-border terrorism: Abbas

Syria has firmly backed India's position on Kashmir saying the issue is an internal matter of the country and New Delhi has the right to solve it in any manner.

Syrian ambassador to India Dr Riad Kamel Abbas told Mail Today that the problem between India and Pakistan has to be solved by the two countries under the Shimla convention without any external assistance.

Abbas said Syria's position on the issue has been different from other countries in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) which has taken the contrary view.

Upbeat about minister of state for external affairs MJ Akbar's visit to Damascus where he met Syrian president Bashar Al Assad, Abbas said the two countries can learn from each other in tackling terrorism. Both Syria and India are facing cross-border terrorism, he said.

"What is going on in Kashmir is first step of terrorism. The government of India has right to solve it in any manner," he said.

INDIA'S ASSISTANCE REQUIRED IN RE-BUILDING SYRIA

The ambassador claimed that there is enormous scope of improving economic ties between Damascus and New Delhi. Syria is looking up to India for assistance in re-building the war-ravaged country. Abbas said he will be leading a delegation of Indian business persons to Syria to explore investment opportunities.

The delegation will include representatives from petroleum, electrical, information technology and hospitals industry.

TERRORISTS DON'T BELONG TO ISLAM

Talking about the situation in Syria, the ambassasdor said his government can send jihadis seeking Jihad Al Nikah, the sexual jihad, to hell within a month if cross-border terrorism is stopped and their funding is blocked. He said that there are 3.6 lakh terrorists in Syria and the government forces were capable of eliminating them. The ambassador said the terrorists don't belong to Islam even if they chant Allah hu Akbar.

Recognising that the world's position on Syria has changed after the terrorist attacks in Europe and from removing the Assad government, most countries barring a few are now backing him.

Quoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Abbas said there is no distinction between good and bad terrorism. The world has come to realise that terrorism has no boundaries.

"Cross-border terrorism is a challenge to both (India and Syria) the countries," he said, adding that security agencies of New Delhi and Damascus were already cooperating on the issue through information-sharing.